Archive for December, 2013

According to this article, the Hells Angels sue often to protect their intellectual property, primarily their name and insignia, and to also defend their members in case of arrests and alleged crimes. They have been classified as a “criminal organization,” along with other groups such as the Mafia by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

One of the cases brought against them recently was the result of a “shoot-out” in Chino Valley. “…Even when the law enforcement gets the upper hand, the Hells Angels fight back in court, using prominent lawyers…”

In the above case, a judge tossed out the case after litigation, stating “the defendants’ due process rights had been violated, and concluding that the prosecution had been negligent. ‘We were able to level the playing field, which is crucial because when it comes to the Hells Angels in the system, their constitutional rights are under assault and every step,’ (the lawyer for the Angels) Mr. Gaxiola said.”

To level the playing field makes the contest fair to both sides. Getting the upper hand is a medieval game with hands alternately put on a stick; the upper hand on the top of the stick wins.

“China raised the stakes in a standoff around its newly declared air-defense zone Friday, when it said for the first time it had dispatched fighter jets to check on U.S. and Japanese military planes there, setting a precedent for what could now become routine high-speed aerial encounters over the East China Sea.

With China overtly challenging Japanese control of disputed islands in the area, such encounters raise the risk of a collision, a misunderstanding or a confrontation between pilots that could quickly escalate into a military clash embroiling the U.S.”

Raising the stakes in a poker game or other gambling games increases the risk involved in playing, but is usually based on good cards and the assumption that one will win. Apparently, the Chinese feel the same way.